Our times: Buster Holmes, New Orleans restaurateur

Buster Holmes' Restaurant was in many ways the quintessential casual New Orleans dining spot, serving what was hailed as very good food at very low prices. Buster’s was known for its soul food standards, including ribs, fried chicken and greens, but it was the red beans and rice that made the place a favorite among locals and visiting cognoscenti.

Clarence "Buster" Holmes was born near Pointe a la Hache in 1907. He moved to New Orleans after the 1927 flood and became a dishwasher at the Monteleone Hotel, then a longshoreman before trying his hand at cooking.

His signature dish of red beans and rice cost a mere 16 cents when the self-taught chef opened his restaurant at Burgundy Street and Orleans Avenue in 1960, and that price didn't go up much over time.

Buster's was popular with locals from all walks of life, and word of mouth and positive press helped make the restaurant famous around the world. The restaurant's decor was nothing special, but the food was famous. Holmes reportedly cooked up to 200 pounds of red beans a day.

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Buster Holmes’ cookbook was published in 1980, featuring recipes for popular dishes from his French Quarter restaurant, as well as instructions for preparing foods such as possum and nutria. The cookbook was reprinted in 2010.

The cigar-chomping “king of red beans” closed his namesake restaurant in the early 1980s; he died on a Monday in February 1994.